# NFL Pick'em Pool Formats on thepickempool

thepickempool supports six distinct NFL pick'em pool formats. The commissioner chooses one format when creating a league; everyone in the league plays the same format all season.

## The six formats

### ATS + Confidence
Pick every game against the spread and assign a unique confidence value from 1 up to the number of games that week (1–16 in a full week). Correct picks earn their confidence points; wrong picks earn zero; pushes are voided. The most skill-based format — you need both spread judgment and conviction calibration. Max 136 points in a 16-game week.

### Straight Up + Confidence
Pick outright winners and assign confidence 1–16. The same conviction-calibration layer without requiring spread knowledge. Good for mixed groups where not everyone follows betting lines.

### ATS Only
Pick every game against the spread, 1 point per correct pick, 0.5 for a push. Simple flat scoring with the ATS skill element.

### Straight Up Only
Pick outright winners, 1 point per correct pick. The easiest format — good for casual family pools.

### Pick 5 ATS
Choose any 5 games each week and pick them against the spread. All picks lock Friday. 1 point per win, 0.5 per push. Rewards selectivity.

### Pick 5 Straight Up
Choose any 5 games and pick the outright winner. All picks lock Friday.

## Shared mechanics

- Spreads are live market lines (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM) that update through the week
- In full-slate formats, each game's pick locks at its own kickoff — Thursday's game locks Thursday, Sunday's games lock Sunday
- The Grid reveals everyone's picks per game as that game kicks off
- Weekly tiebreaker: Monday Night Football combined score

More detail: [thepickempool.com/formats](https://thepickempool.com/formats). Format-choosing guide: [The 6 NFL Pick'em Pool Formats Explained](https://thepickempool.com/blog/nfl-pickem-formats-explained).